An implanted penile prosthetic is a proven approach to relieve erectile dysfunction for male users.
A penile prosthetic typically includes one or more cylinders that are implanted in the corpora cavernosa of the penis, a reservoir implanted in the abdomen that communicates with the cylinder(s), and a pump, often located in the scrotum, that is employed to move liquid from the reservoir into the cylinder(s).
In a typical application, the user squeezes a bulb of the pump multiple times to draw liquid out of the reservoir into the bulb and thereafter transfer the liquid from the bulb into the cylinder(s). Squeezing the bulb thus inflates the cylinder(s) to provide the user with an erect penis. The user may return the penis to its flaccid state by selectively activating a deflation mechanism and transferring the liquid from the cylinder(s) back into the reservoir.
It is desirable to provide the user with a simple mechanism for deflation of the cylinders. However, the cylinders are typically inflated to a pressure of several pounds-per-square-inch (psi) or greater and the resultant high pressure deflation of the cylinders has the potential to undesirably close the deflation mechanism.